Ironing-machine.



C. L. BRALEY.

IRONING MACH'NE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 12- 1915.

1,245,562. Patented Nov. 6, 1917.

7SHEETS-SHEET I.

IIVI/ENTOR M5 A TTOR/VEYJ C. L. BRALEY.

IRONING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 12. 1915.

Patented Nov. 6, 1917.

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C. L. BRALEY.

IRONING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 12. ms.

1 45,562. Patented Nov. 6, 1917'.

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IRONING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 12. 1915.

1,245,562. Patented Nov. 6, 1917.

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Patented Nov. 6, 1917.

C. L. BRALEY.

IRONING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY12.I9I5.

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IRONING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 12. 1915.

Patented Nov. 6,

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IRONING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 12. 19m.

1,245,562. Patented Nov. 6, 1917,

TSHEETS-SHEET 7.

INVENTOI? Uzariealfirwiay 71/59 A TTOH/VEVS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES L. BRALEY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB TO AMERICAN LAUNDRY MACHINERY COMPANY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

IRONING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 6, 1917.

Application filed May 12, 1915. Serial No. 27,681.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES L. BRALEY, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ironing-Machines; and I do hereby declare the followlng to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thls specification, and to the reference-numerals marked thereon.

My invention has for its ob ect to provide a novel form of ironing machines designed more particularly for operation on tubular garments or tubular portions of garments, having in view the provision of means for automatically moving the garment intermittently in order to bring dlfl'erent portions of it into pressing position 1n a practical and efficient manner. A further purpose of the improvement is to provide a mechanism that can be readily adapted for ironing comparatively small articles wh1ch require being moved or fed in order to place different portions in ironing position, and one of its chief advantages lies in the rapidity with which the machine can be operated with proper consideration for efficiency, and the readiness with which it can be controlled. To these and other ends the invention consists in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the clalms at the end of the specification.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an end elevatlon of a machine constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation;

Fi 3 is an end elevation similar to Flg.

2, with parts in section and showing the Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing the positions of parts when the platen and bed are in pressing relation.

Similar reference numerals throughout the several views indicate the same parts.

The invention is susceptible of a number of different embodiments and in the present application I will explain the essential features by reference to one possible-form of the apparatus which, it will be understood, is disclosed for illustrative purposes and not as limiting the invention to any particular construction or arrangement of the detail parts.

In the structure shown the main frame of the machine includes a base 1, vertical standard 2 and a head 3 upon which is supported a pressing member or platen 4 which is pivoted to the head at 5. The platen 4 is in'movable relation to the head by reason of its pivotal support and is maintained in its normal position by the springs 5 which are disposed between the head and the platen. The platen is yieldable against the springs 5 in order to compensate for any irregularities or varying thicknesses in the article to be ironed.

The machine is essentially a pressing machine and contemplates the pressing of tubular garments or tubular garment portions, as well as flat articles, between a relatively movable bed and platen which are brought together into pressing relation to each other and held in such pressing relation for a certain length of time after which the pressing members are separated and the garment is moved to bring another portion into pressing position. The head 4 is preferably heated by any desirable heating medium such as is well known in this class of machinery. In order to properly accomplish relative movement of the bed .and platen, and to permit a garment to' be maintained in proper relation with the bed and to be moved intermittently, when the bed and platen are separated I employ a bed frame 6 which is pivotally mounted on the shaft 7 arranged in brackets 8. The bed frame 6 is provided with a bed comprising a plate 9 in keyed relation to the bottom portion 10 and provided on its upper surface with a suitable padding or coverlng 11. The bed is preferably elevated into engagement with the platen, although their relative movements may otherwise be effected as by moving the platen downwardly in relation to a bed or by moving both of the pressing members, and this operation is effected in the present embodiment through the instrumentality of a post 12 which is pivoted to the bed frame at 13 and also to a link 14 which in turn is pivoted to the bed frame at 15. The post 12 carries at its lowermost end an anti-friction roller 16 arranged for engagement with a cam 17 which is fixed on a shaft 18, the latter being driven intermittentl in a manner that will presently be descri ed. The bed and platen are both of rather elongated, narrow formation so as to afford elongated surfaces to be presented to the pressing members which by reason of their shape, are of a size to accommodate ordinarily small garments or to support lengthwise a tubular garment portion such as a pillow slip, undershirt, or the like and it is preferable to support the garment movably with relation to the bed, between the bed and platen so that its position can be changed, preferably by automatic devices, between successive pressing operations in order to effect proper pressing of all portions of the surface of the garment. To this end it is my purpose to employ a carrier or conveyer that is endless and maintained on the bed frame so as to be intermittently fed through a predetermined distance, and the carrier is disposed with a lap portion thereof positioned "between the bed and platen. The carrier or conveyer is adapted to extend within a tubular garment or garment portion and is connected operatively with controlling devices which serve to effect its feedingmovement during each separating operation of the pressing members which as applied to the present structure, means the downward movement of the bed as it is disengaged from the platen.

In the practical application of this arrangement a roll 19 is mounted on the bed frame and cooperates with roll 20 to support the carrier or apron 21 which is preferably in the form of an endless belt extending the length of the rolls 19 and 20. The carrier 21 has its upper lap disposed between the bed and platen as shown in Fig. 1, while its lower lap extends beneath the bottom portion 10 of the bed frame. The carrier is movable transversely of the longitudinal axes of the bed and platen, making it possible to press a garment of considerable size by imparting to it a succession of pressing operations applied at different portions. Means are required for intermittently feeding the carrier and to this end the shaft 7 which is connected to the roll 20, carries a gear wheel 22 which is loosely mounted thereon and forms part of the sleeve 23. The

sleeve 23 carries an arm 24 provided with a pawl 25 having engagement with the teeth of a ratchet 26 which is fixed on the spindle 7. 27 is a pawl pivoted on a stationary pin 28 and acting to hold the ratchet 26 and the shaft 7 against reverse movement during the return movement of the sleeve 23. The gear 22 is driven by a segmental rack 29 mounted on arm 30 forming part of the bell crank 31 which is connected by a link 32 to a lever 33, the latter being pivoted to the main frame at 34. The lever 33 is provided with a cam surface 35 by which it is actuated in the following manner. 36 is a disk keyed to the spindle 8 and provided with a projection 37 adapted to engage the cam surface 35 .as shown in Figs. 4 and 9. In Fig. 9 the bed frame is elevated into pressing relation with the platen and is just about to be lowered as the projection 37 commences to engage the cam surface 35. During the lowering of the bed frame, the lever 33 is moved to the position shown in Fig.4 causing a corresponding movement of the segmental rack 29 and thus through-the ratchet 26, operating the carrier on which the garment is supported to remove the ironed portion from beneath the platen and to bring an adjacent unironed portion into pressing position.- After the projection 37 disengages the cam surface 35, the latter is returned to its normal position together with the segmental rack 29 and cooperating member by the weight of the parts.

It is desirable that in the normal position of the parts the bed and platen be separated, and that a manual operation be required to effect each cycle of movements consisting in elevating the bed, holding it raised for a predetermined period, lowering the bed and simultaneously operating the. carrier or apron. This I accomplish by providing a continuously operated driving element in the form of a gear 38 which is loose on the spindle 8. The gear 38 is provided on its interior surface with a recess 39 which is engaged by a movable clutch 40 slidably mounted on the disk 36. The clutch 40 is carried by a pin 41 and controlled by a spring 42. When the clutch 40 is engaged with the recess 39, the disk 36 is carried around with the gear 38, and at the end of a single revolution the clutch 40 is automatically disengaged by a cam 43 which is movable into the path of the pin 41. The cam 43 is fixedly mounted on a controlling shaft 44 carrying a bell crank 45. '46 is a spring connecting the bell crank with the base and operating to return the shaft 44 and the cam 43 to the normal position of Fig. 9 in which position the clutch is automatically disengaged. The cam 43 is moved out of engagement with the clutch 40, in order to permit rotation of the disk 36, by means of a treadle 47 which is pivoted at 48 and engages a projection 49 on the bell crank 45. Also mounted on the shaft 44 is an arm 50 adapted to lie in the path of the projection 37, and which insures the return of the cam 43 to its normal position.

The ear 38 is driven by a pinion 51 mounted on a spindle 52 which also carries a worm gear 53. The latter is connected with the worm 54 on the shaft 55 which is provided with fast and loose pulleys 56 and 57 respectively and is continuously operated. 58 is a shaft slidably mounted in the bracket 59 and arranged to carry a belt shifter for throwing a belt from one to the other of the pulleys 56 and 57, and 60 is a lever pivoted to the extension 61 and connected to the spindle 58 whereby the position of the belt shifter can readily be determined in order to throw the machine into or out of operation.

In the operation of the parts, a tubular garment is applied around the carrier 21, when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1 and the portion of the garment immediately above the bed can be properly straightened by the operator. Assuming that the gear 38 is being driven, the treadle 47 is depressed, releasing the clutch 40 and permitting the disk 36' and spindle 8 to turn. The bed is immediately elevated through the cam 17 until it is in the position shown in Fig. 8, in which the garment is designated at 62. During this period, the projection 37 on,the disk will have traveled to the position shown in Fig. 9. After the bed has been held in engagement with the platen for a proper period, determined by the surface of the cam 17, it is lowered to its initial position and during the lowering movement the cam surface 35 is engaged by the projection 37 and moved outwardly as shown in Fig. 4. This, through the parts already described, rotates the roll 7 and causes the carrier to be moved far enough to change the position of the garment and bring an unironed portion into pressing position whereupon the parts are ready for another operation.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an ironing machine, the combination with aplaten, of a bed movable vertically into pressing relation with the platen, a pivotally mounted bed frame on which the bed is supported, a carrier on-the frame movable vertically with the bed havin a comparatively narrow and elongated ap arranged between the bed and platen and movable transversely of their lon 'tudinal axes, and means for elevating the rame.

2. In an ironing machine, the combination with a platen, of a bed movable vertically into pressing relation with the platen, a pivotally mounted bed frame on which the bed is supported, a carrier on the frame movable vertically with the bed havin a comparatively narrow and elongated ap arranged between the bed and platen and movable transversely of their longitudinal axes, means for elevating the frame, and automatic devices operating to effect movement of the carrier while the bed and platen are separated.

3. In an ironing machine, the.combination with an elongated platen, of an elongated bed movable vertically into' pressing relation with the platen, a pivotally mounted bed frame on which the bed'is supported, a. carrier on the frame having a comparatively narrow and elongated lap arranged between the 'bed and platen presenting an elongated surface to the platen, and means for elevating the frame.

4. In an ironing machine, the combination with an elongated platen, of an elongated bed movable vertically into pressing relation with the platen, a pivotally mounted bed frame on which the bed issupported, a carrier movable with the frame and having a comparatively narrow and elongated lap arranged between the bed and platen presenting an elongated 1 surface to the platen, means for elevating the frame, and automatic devices operating to effect movement of the carrier while the bed and platen are separated.

5. In an ironing machine, the combination with apivoted platen, of a pivoted frame carrying a bed and movable vertically to bring the bed into engagement with the platen, an endless carrier mounted on the frame adapted to extend within a tubular garment and having a comparatively narrow and elongated lap arranged between the bed and platen, devices for elevating the frame, and means for actuating the carrier to bring different portions of a tubular garment thereon successively into pressing position between the pressin members.

CHARLE L. BRALEY. Witnesses:

H. E. STONEBRAKER, Russnm. B. GRIFFITH. 

